Chairman of the Operation Recover All Loot (ORAL) committee, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has accused the former Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Samuel Abu Jinapor of facilitating the sale of state lands to party loyalists at highly questionable prices and failed to provide a transparent account of these transactions to Parliament.

During an interview with Joy News on Monday, January 13, Ablakwa expressed his frustration with the former minister’s repeated failure to disclose a comprehensive report on the sale of state lands over the past eight years.

Despite persistent requests and parliamentary summons, Jinapor reportedly did not comply with these demands according to Ablakwa.

“The Chairman of the Assurances Committee [of Parliament], not once, not twice, summoned the Lands Minister to give us a report of all the state lands that have been sold over the last eight years. He has not been able to provide them,” Ablakwa revealed during the interview.

He further criticised the lack of accountability exhibited by Jinapor during his tenure, accusing him of evading parliamentary scrutiny.

Ablakwa stated, “He [Jinapor] kept postponing and he is now out of office. So these are people who are not being transparent. They are not just accountable to the people. And all you see is that bungalows are being raised down.

“So-called private developers are taking over. And you see that politically exposed persons, politicians, cabinet ministers, party executives, just pay peanuts and they take over these properties.”

The ORAL committee has been actively investigating allegations of corruption and misuse of state resources. Most recently, on January 10, the committee conducted a fact-finding visit to the offices of the Northern Development Authority (NDA) located in Cantonments, Accra.

This visit was prompted by reports of alleged encroachment on state lands. The NDA, however, refuted these allegations.